Phil Denny

Phil Denny is a tenor saxophonist based in Lansing, Michigan. Born in Sarasota, Florida, he grew up in Lansing, started on alto saxophone and moved to tenor in seventh grade, learning by playing along with records by Grover Washington Jr., Richard Elliot and Boney James. His debut album, Crossover (2012), brought his first entries on Billboard’s smooth jazz airplay chart with “Push” and “Traffic Jam”.

Upswing arrived in 2015, and his fourth studio album, Align (2018), gave him a first Billboard number one with “Switch Up”. “Feel Alright”, featuring David P. Stevens, reached number two in 2019, and the title track of the Urban Troubadour EP, produced by guitarist Michael “Big Mike” Hart with Buddy Bangs, topped the chart again in early 2022. Denny has played the Dubai International Jazz Festival, headlined Jazz Under the Stars in Nairobi, worked as a sideman for guitarist Peter White and founded Lansing’s Armory Smooth Jazz Fête.